Real-time radio spectrum assessment engine

• US 9,426,680 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2013
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Itron, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Itron, Inc.
• Inventors: Seely, Danny Ray, Sanders, Jeffrey Steele
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jangbahadur, Lakeram
• Application Number:
  US13/776,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20140241178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,275 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

A multichannel radio receiver configured for real-time radio channel assessment is described herein. In one example, a radio frequency (RF) front end provides a frequency spectrum which is converted into a digitized spectrum. Within a digital subsystem, resources (e.g., software or a hardware device) may analyze channels or portions of spectrum within the digitized spectrum for a packet error rate (PER) at a plurality of power levels and a plurality of modulation schemes. The analysis may result a required received signal strength indicator (RSSI) that is needed to result in a particular read reliability requirement (RRR). Using the required RSSI, endpoints communicating with the multichannel radio may be associated with a channel(s), modulation scheme(s) and/or power level(s) that results in the RRR. The analysis may be performed by one or more resources operating in parallel and operating in the background to other communications between the endpoints and multichannel radio receiver.

Claims

1. A radio receiver, comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) subsystem to provide a signal to an analog to digital converter; and

a digital subsystem comprising the analog to digital converter, wherein the digital subsystem is configured to;

communicate with a plurality of endpoints;

find a required receive signal strength indicator (RSSI) that results in a required read reliability requirement (RRR) for each of a plurality of locations in an RF band, respectively, wherein finding the required RSSI comprises operating a plurality of channel assessment engines on each of a plurality of channel plans, respectively, wherein a same portion of the RF band is occupied by at least two channels of at least two respective channel plans, wherein at least one channel plan of the plurality of channel plans has a different modulation scheme than at least one other channel plan of the plurality of channel plans, wherein a first modulation scheme is used to communicate via a first channel of the at least two channels and a second modulation scheme is used to communicate via a second channel of the at least two channels, and wherein the first and second modulation schemes are configured to reject each other'"'"'s signals; and

associate endpoints with channels based at least in part on the required RSSI for the plurality of locations in the RF band, wherein endpoints further from the radio receiver are assigned to locations in the RF band having lower required RSSI, wherein endpoints nearer to the radio receiver are assigned to locations in the RF band having higher required RSSI, and wherein finding the required RSSI for the plurality of locations in the RF band, assigning endpoints further from the radio receiver to locations in the RF band having lower required RSSI, and assigning endpoints nearer to the radio receiver to locations in the RF band having higher required RSSI, are performed in parallel with the communication with the plurality of endpoints.

2. The radio receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein finding the required RSSI comprises:

measuring a packet error rate (PER) at a plurality of power levels for each of the plurality of locations on the RF band until a PER threshold indicates the required RSSI for each of the plurality of locations.

3. The radio receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein the digital subsystem is additionally configured to:

associate endpoints with transmit power levels and modulation schemes based in part on received RSSI from each endpoint and the required RSSI for achieving the required RRR.

4. The radio receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein associating endpoints with communication parameters comprises:

an ongoing process by which endpoints are directed to change channels, change transmit power levels and change modulation schemes based on new findings of required RSSI or an RSSI of incoming packets from the endpoints.

5. The radio receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein finding the required RSSI comprises:

finding required RSSIs for at least two modulation schemes.

6. The radio receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of locations in the RF band are configured as a plurality of channels.

7. The radio receiver as recited in claim 6, wherein finding the required RSSI comprises:

tuning to the plurality of channels simultaneously, wherein the plurality of channels have at least one of irregular channel spacing or irregular channel widths.

8. The radio receiver as recited in claim 6, wherein finding the required RSSI comprises:

tuning to a plurality of channels by scanning.

9. The radio receiver as recited in claim 8, wherein the scanning is performed by a plurality of channelizers.

10. The radio receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein the digital subsystem is additionally configured to:

recognize a periodicity of required RSSI data; and

assign endpoints to channels based at least in part on the recognized periodicity.

11. The radio receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein the digital subsystem is configured to create a channel plan in real-time based in part on the required RSSI.

12. A digital subsystem, comprising:

an analog to digital converter; and

a plurality of channel assessment engines, each channel assessment engine separately instantiated within a digital device, and configured to;

operate in parallel within the digital device;

receive input from the analog to digital converter;

find a required receive signal strength indicator (RSSI) for each of a plurality of channels that results in a required read reliability requirement (RRR) for each of the plurality of channels, respectively, wherein finding the required RSSI each of the plurality of channels comprises;

operating a resource to find the required RSSI of each of the plurality of channels in parallel with other network traffic handled by the digital subsystem, wherein endpoints further from, or more difficult to hear at, the digital subsystem are assigned to channels having lower required RSSI, and wherein operating the resource to find the required RSSI for the plurality of channels, assigning endpoints further from the digital subsystem to channels having lower required RSSI, and assigning endpoints nearer to the digital subsystem to channels having higher required RSSI, are performed in parallel with communication with a plurality of endpoints;

determine a plurality of evolving interference signatures in a parallel manner, each signature based at least in part on RSSI values of a respective channel plan, each channel plan associated with a particular modulation scheme; and

create a channel plan in real-time based in part on the required RSSI; and

associate endpoints with the created channel plan, a modulation scheme and a power level based at least in part on the required RSSI for each channel and one or more of the plurality of evolving interference signatures.

13. The digital subsystem as recited in claim 12, wherein finding the required RSSI for each of the plurality of channels comprises:

measuring a packet error rate (PER) at a plurality of power levels for each of the plurality of channels until a PER threshold indicates the required RSSI for each of the plurality of channels using more than one modulation scheme.

14. The digital subsystem as recited in claim 12, wherein finding the required RSSI each of the plurality of channels comprises:

simultaneous operation a plurality of resources, each resource configured to find an RSSI of each channel within a channel plan using a modulation scheme associated with the channel plan.

15. The digital subsystem as recited in claim 12, wherein the plurality of channel assessment engines are additionally configured to:

recognize a periodicity of required RSSI data; and

assign endpoints to channels based at least in part on the recognized periodicity.

16. A method of real-time radio channel assessment, comprising:

finding a required receive signal strength indicator (RSSI) for each of a plurality of channels that results in a required read reliability requirement (RRR) for each of the plurality of channels, respectively;

recognizing a periodicity in required RSSI data found;

determining a plurality of evolving interference signatures in a parallel manner, each signature based at least in part on RSSI values of a respective channel plan, each channel plan associated with a particular modulation scheme;

associating endpoints with a channel plan, a modulation scheme and a transmit power level based at least in part on the required RSSI for each channel and based at least in part on the recognized periodicity and based at least in part on one or more of the plurality of evolving interference signatures;

maintaining interference signatures for each of the plurality of channels; and

assigning endpoints to channels, wherein more distant endpoints are assigned to channels haying lower required RSSI, wherein less distant endpoints are assigned to channels having higher required RSSI, and wherein operating the resource to find the required RSSI for the plurality of channels, assigning endpoints further from the digital subsystem to channels having lower required RSSI, and assigning endpoints nearer to the digital subsystem to channels having higher required RSSI, are performed in parallel with communication with a plurality of endpoints.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein finding the required RSSI for each of a plurality of channels comprises:

measuring a packet error rate (PER) on each of the plurality of channels, wherein the measuring is performed at a plurality of different power levels.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein:

finding the required RSSI is performed using at least two modulation schemes in parallel; and

channels associated with different modulation schemes are at least one of irregular in width or spacing.